1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical continuous and automatic measuring apparatus for various kinds of reaction-liquids received in a plurality of microcups which are provided at intervals of a certain distance in a microplate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hitherto, in a biochemical inspection of a blood specimen, a urine specimen and the like, and in an immunoreaction and so on, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 13907/1981 discloses an optical continuous and automatic measuring apparatus for the various kinds of the reaction-liquids received in the microcups, in which apparatus, the microplate is made of a transparent material and horizontally transferred to be measured by being subjected to the light beam which is issued from a light source provided under the microplate so as to be directed upward to the bottom surface of the microcups so that the light beam having passed through the microcups is received by a light detector provided over the microplate to perform the measurement of such liquids.
However, in such a type of the conventional measuring apparatus, it is not possible to use a microplate made of an opaque material, and furthermore, even if the microplate is made of a transparent material, there are various defects, for example, a defect that it is not possible to set a desirable length of optical path of the light beam because of the measured value varying on the same reactionliquid with every change of transparency due to differences in material properties and material thickness of the microplate and further because of a depth of the reaction-liquid received in the microcup itself being equal to a light traveling distance, i.e., a length of the optical path.